Before him lay the corpse of the goblin, its skull pierced clean through, a gaping hole where life had once flickered. The grassy floor drank greedily from the crimson droplets dripping down the blade in his hand.
A kitchen knife. A murder weapon.
He stared at it blankly, breath shallow, unable to ignore the truth: he had just taken a life. Even if that life belonged to something monstrous, something inhuman, the truth still pressed down on him.
But he didn't have the luxury of dwelling.
[View Profile (Yes / No)]
The glowing prompt hovered in the air before him like an unavoidable question. His throat tightened. Sweat rolled down his temple as he realized that this was the moment, the elephant in the room demanding his answer.
His lips parted hesitantly. "Uhm… yes."
The translucent screen flared to life, words arranging themselves neatly before his eyes.
---
● Nathaniel Freeman
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 0 (0%)
[Class]: None
[Skill]: Safe Haven (Unique Rank)
[Attributes]:
HP: <[Constitution: 4 | Endurance: 3 | Stamina: 5]>
MP: <[Perception: 0 | Willpower: 7 | Soul Power: 5]>
---
Nathan blinked at the floating status panel, half in awe, half in disbelief. His heart pounded as the corners of his mouth twitched upward despite himself.
"To think the world would end… solo leveling style," he muttered under his breath. "Who would have thought?"
If anyone asked, he wasn't angry about it. The world was collapsing, sure, but a game-like system? He could live with that. Maybe even thrive if he played his cards right.
For fifteen years, his life had been aggressively average. His appearance never stood out, his grades hovered around mediocrity, and his name barely registered among classmates. He wasn't unpopular, but he wasn't anyone special either. He had always believed it wasn't his fault, how could someone shine in a society that chained people to rules, to laws, to the whims of those in power? In such a suffocating world, who could rise above who?
But if that very system collapsed… if the old world fell apart… wasn't that freedom?
Wasn't this the stage he had always needed?
For a brief moment, excitement flickered brighter than fear. Until reality slammed back into him. His chest tightened. His mother.
"Mom…" His voice trembled.
She was still out there, somewhere in this collapsing world. There was no doubt in his decision to save her. For that to happen, he needed to survive first.
His? Nathan's eyes landed back on the one part of the screen that made his pulse quicken again.
"A unique rank skill…"
He whispered it almost reverently, staring at the words as though they held divine promise. That had to mean something. It had to. His finger twitched, mentally choosing to expand the skill's details.
---
[Safe Haven]:
A unique skill belonging exclusively to Nathaniel Freeman. This skill allows the user to designate a location as a personal safe zone.
Skill Effects:
- Only those granted permission by the user may enter the safe zone.
- All abilities within the zone are nullified, and attribute stats are halved unless granted exception by the user.
- As the safe zone's owner, the user can perceive the true identity of anyone allowed entry.
- Soul stones absorbed within the zone grants double experience, and attribute values of the user are doubled while inside.
Skill Conditions:
- Operation requires Soul Power.
- Durability depends on Willpower.
- As Soul Power increases, so too does the safe zone's size. Greater Willpower enhances its resilience.
---
Nathan's jaw dropped.
"…Ha." A shaky laugh slipped past his lips. "Ha." Another followed, and then, uncontrollably, he threw his head back. "Mwahahaha! The world shall marvel at my feet!"
The dramatic declaration echoed into the forest. Then silence. His shoulders slumped, embarrassment coloring his cheeks. "…Okay. Definitely not cool."
Still, he couldn't deny it. Excitement surged through him, rushing in hotter than adrenaline. This was beyond anything he could have asked for. In a ruined world, having such a skill wasn't just luck, it was a ticket to survival, maybe even dominance.
"I couldn't have asked for a better ability," he whispered, his grin returning.
Of course, he couldn't let enthusiasm blind him. If he was going to wield Safe Haven properly, he would need to choose its location with absolute caution. A single misstep could cost him everything.
His gaze flicked back to his attributes. One detail gnawed at him.
"Zero perception" he muttered. "How do I even raise that?"
No sooner had the thought formed than the system itself responded.
[Notice! Beginner information bonus…]
[Soul stones harvested from exterminated creatures can be absorbed to level up.]
The words wrote themselves across the panel in glowing script, bold and undeniable.
Nathan leaned in, reading it once. Then again. And again, as if repetition would somehow make it less absurd. His eyes shifted toward the goblin's corpse, bile creeping up his throat.
"…Nope." He shook his head violently. "No way. Not happening. I am not digging through a corpse."
The very thought made his stomach churn. Who designed a system this cruel? Why couldn't experience points just fly directly into him like in a proper game? Why this grotesque scavenger hunt through flesh and bone?
But reality cared nothing for complaints.
Minutes later, his hand plunged into the goblin's cooling body, slick with blood. He gagged, lips trembling, bile threatening to spill. His fingers scraped against something solid and unnaturally warm. When he pulled it free, he almost vomited on the spot.
"Found it."
A dull, translucent stone gleamed faintly in his palm, stained red with gore. The sticky wetness clung to his skin, the memory of its squishy insides forever branded into his senses. He swallowed hard, trying not to think about the way it had felt.
It was revolting. But if survival demanded payment, then this was the price.
"…Now how do I even absorb it?"
He tried holding it tightly. Nothing. Pressing it against his chest. Still nothing. Finally, on instinct, he willed the stone to release its power. That was when it happened.
The gem disintegrated in his palm, releasing an ominous black mist that surged into his body like smoke sucked into a vacuum. The sensation was icy, crawling down his spine, then spreading warmth through every fiber of his being.
[You have absorbed a lowest grade soul stone]
[Experience value has risen by 3%]
Nathan blinked. Then snorted.
"Oh, a whooping three percent. Nice."
He shook his head, torn between irritation and reluctant satisfaction. It was gruesome. It was horrifying. But it worked. And in this new world, that was all that mattered.